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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24361210">The One with the Birthday Gift</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaMarwy/pseuds/LaMarwy'>LaMarwy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Ingricent Chronicles [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Maleficent (Disney Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Birthday, F/F, Family, Humor, Ingricent, One Shot Collection</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 06:28:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,400</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24361210</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaMarwy/pseuds/LaMarwy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Aurora and Phillip visit the Moors to celebrate a birthday, but not everything goes as planned.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aurora/Phillip (Disney), Ingrith/Maleficent (Disney)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Ingricent Chronicles [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1537843</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>48</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The One with the Birthday Gift</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>for any info/update: https://mementomori-demimonde.tumblr.com/</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>6. THE ONE WITH THE BIRTHDAY GIFT</p>
<p>Aurora giggled, jumping off her pearly white horse and tying up loose the reins to a low branch of a nearby tree. Panting and smiling, she watched as the animal lowered his neck, completely unaffected by the long run, to eat some of the fresh and tender grass that surrounded the border with the Moors.</p>
<p>If Phillip had let her win this time, he surely had miscalculated the head start, because he had disappeared completely. Too bad, he would pay his forfeit once they returned to the castle – sometimes Aurora suspected he liked to pay the forfeit a little too much.</p>
<p>The girl waited a couple of minutes for her husband to arrive while dusting off her new dress and lively her curly hair, but when Phillip was still nowhere to be seen, she decided to go ahead on her own, just to find out where those two were and plan a proper surprise; after all, he knew the Moors by heart as well: he would know where to find them, eventually.</p>
<p>She confidently walked inside and her smile widened at the sight of the familiar places and of the little creatures that, upon her arriving, were popping out at every corner eager to say <em>hello</em>. Aurora decided it was best to start with the Rowan tree and the cottage she was so curious to see, after all that talking that had happened only a couple of weeks ago. Would it look like her own? Honestly, she realized, Aurora wouldn’t even mind if it did.</p>
<p>The girl continued to walk when she suddenly felt thirsty. Looking around and sighing lightly, she noticed she was near the river and decided that a little detour wouldn’t hurt.</p>
<p>Aurora was absent-mindedly pacing alongside the course of translucent water, trying to find a nice spot to take a little rest, when she suddenly heard a noise and something big, that didn’t belong to the forest and didn’t resemble any known creature, moving behind a fallen oak. She halted and held her breath for good sense and, quickly, she hid behind another tree, carefully peeking out.</p>
<p>When she realized what she was witnessing, her heart skipped a beat.</p>
<p><em>"I</em><em> knew it!"</em> Her inner voice screamed, loudly inside her head.<br/>
She knew Maleficent liked Ingrith and that the woman was fond of her Godmother in return – yes, she hadn’t planned to find out that she’d been right all this time in a similar way, but it was great news nonetheless. Finally, they would too know what it meant to have a significant other.</p>
<p>Aurora leaned against the tree, smiling and watching as the two got closer and closer, holding each other’s hand, whispering things she couldn’t hear and then, finally, kiss. The girl flinched slightly, surprisingly taken aback by the strange sensation that was now brewing inside her stomach: her Godmother and Ingrith looked undeniably cute – full grown-up, straight-arrow, prideful creatures like them smooching like idiots in love – and still, there was a part of her that couldn’t help but feel a little unconformable with the sight. She imagined she’d get used to it, at some point, of course, and why wouldn’t she? Anything for Maleficent’s happiness. Especially when she looked so ecstatic.</p>
<p>Yet, she needed to find a way to tell Phillip about them. Somehow she felt he wouldn’t be willing to accept the thing as fast as she did – he was smart and kind, but completely blind when it came down to love when it involved other people. He understood why John and his mother had gone two different directions, but that was it. He was a simple young man – just like Diaval. Yes, perhaps Diaval could help him realize what was right in front of his nose.</p>
<p>Given that Diaval knew in the first place, of course.</p>
<p>Aurora frowned, narrowing her eyes to see if the raven was around, but she couldn't spot him anywhere. Not until she heard a screech, a broken caw, and a great fuss happening just above her head. She grimaced fondly: since Maleficent had granted him the ability to transform back and forth from human to crow by himself, he’d gotten incredibly clumsy.</p>
<p>The girl flattened herself against the tree just in time, before Diaval landed rather ungracefully by her feet. He looked frantic, agitated, and, to be honest, even slightly disgusted. Maybe he hadn’t known, after all… and now he most definitely did.</p>
<p>When he finally came to his senses, he covered his face with his hands, which were still shredding the last feathers from the transformation, and curled upon himself.</p>
<p>“My eyes!” He shrieked frantically.</p>
<p>Aurora rolled her eyes and pulled him by his arms without much success. She tried to shush him, but it didn’t worth either. “Cut it out, don’t be overdramatic.” She pleaded in the loudest whisper she could manage, fearing to be heard by Maleficent’s oversensitive ears, though at the moment she seemed to be busy.</p>
<p>“I <em>have</em> hurt my eyes!” He retorted bitterly. “By hitting a tree.”</p>
<p>“Oh.” Aurora sighed, frowning a little. She’d never seen Diaval act that way for such minor incident. Perhaps she’d judged the situation too fast. “Never mind then.”</p>
<p>“Because I saw Maleficent and Ingrith kissing!” He spat, still clutching his hands on his face.</p>
<p>Aurora rolled her eyes again and sighed sharply. It was getting ridiculous. She crunched down and tried again to pull him up, but he was so stiff and distraught that every attempt resulted in nothing. “It’s alright.” She said, attempting to calm him down with a sweet voice.</p>
<p>Diaval was having none of it.</p>
<p>“They’re all over each other!” He replied, pointing blindly and messily at the other side of the river where the two were, still kissing and holding.</p>
<p>Aurora frowned. He couldn’t blame him for being upset, but there was no need to make a scene – right? “I know, Diaval!” She assured. “I know.” She repeated shortly after with a firmer tone.</p>
<p>Slowly, the man unpeeled his hands from his face and grimaced. “You know?”</p>
<p>Aurora nodded, feeling suddenly agitated herself when she heard some footsteps approaching. “Yes I know, and John knows and all the creatures in the Moors except apparently you know, but Phillip doesn’t know, so would you please keep it down?”</p>
<p>“This is insa-” Diaval started to complain, but the girl quickly covered his mouth with her hand and efficiently turned his rant into an inaudible mumbling.</p>
<p>They were both still struggling when Phillip arrived, walking slowly toward them. Watching down at the wrestling pair with an inquiring expression, unsure whether to think his wife, the queen, was accustomed to fighting like a cub and roll in the dirt or the raven, in a moment of insanity, had attacked her and she was just defending herself.</p>
<p>He paused, gathering all his sensible thoughts and sighed deeply, mentally preparing himself of whatever might come. “What’s going on?” He wondered with an incredibly flat tone.</p>
<p>“Phillip!” Aurora cried out, with a smile that was perhaps too wide and sudden, even for her.</p>
<p>The young man immediately figured out that it was just a miserable attempt to gain some time, what he didn’t know, was the reason why gaining time was necessary.</p>
<p>After all, they were the ones planning a surprise, not those who were supposed to receive one; have their roles gotten reversed unexpectedly?</p>
<p>He helped his wife getting on her feet, while he found himself glaring at Diaval, for some recondite reason perhaps, for the entire time.</p>
<p>The raven man gasped loudly as soon as he got released, his mind and mouth battling as his spirit got thorned between venting out his thoughts – and countless questions – and keeping a silent promise he’d just made to Aurora. What they were supposed to do now? Didn’t the boy have eyes too? And those two on the other side of the river were incredibly loud and careless to be seen since they were peacefully strolling hand in hand and mouth to – <em>uh</em> – Diaval shivered. The point was, that it wouldn’t be long before he knew.</p>
<p>“What’s going on, Aurora?” The young king asked again, this time, his voice was demanding and firmer.</p>
<p>“I’d like to know myself.” Muttered Diaval grumpily.</p>
<p>The girl let out a peal of laughter and pushed a lock of golden hair behind her ear. Certainly, it would’ve been better to tell him the news herself rather than to have him witness a very unmistakable scene that could throw his belief upside down – it would certainly open his eyes, tho. Drastically. And Diaval’s.</p>
<p><em>Uh</em>, men – both actual and made – were so blind and dull; allergic to romance for sure.</p>
<p>She took a quick breath and, catching some suspicious movement with the corner of her eyes, she cleared her throat nervously. “I don’t think I have enough time for the long version, so I think I’ll go for the short one.”</p>
<p>Phillip frowned, a strange quirk of her eyebrow that turned his face into something that could be read both as scared or interested. “Yes?”</p>
<p>“You see, your mother and mine-”</p>
<p>“What are you children doing here?”</p>
<p>The girl spun abruptly on her heels and shrieked unwillingly when the sharp, slightly vexed voice of Maleficent cut her breath.</p>
<p>Aurora wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or frightened to be dismissed by the role of a herald of such life-changing news but, on the other hand, she knew she was the only one that could be able to avoid a disaster; now the chance could’ve been missed forever.</p>
<p>“Hello, Godmother.” She chirped after a while.</p>
<p>No matter how awkward and unexpected the situation could be, Maleficent couldn’t resist that and, after every negative thoughts or feeling had slid from her body, like water on skin, she reciprocated the warm smile.</p>
<p>Aurora wasted no time to leap into the fae’s waiting arm and let herself disappear into that soft, dark blanket of feathers that smelled of white musk and home.</p>
<p>“Hello, Beastie.” She murmured into her hair.</p>
<p>The girl let herself enjoy the long embrace, thinking, for a moment, that she might’ve wasted her time in the Moors for not having claimed more when she could. Now that their lives had been separated, sometimes she found herself longing for the fae’s presence, at night, a longness that Phillip was, luckily, able to quench. She only hoped that for Maleficent and Ingrith was the same.</p>
<p>And how could it not? When they look at each other so sweetly, when the woman’s hand unwillingly searched for the fae’s as soon as the hug was broken, as if the quick parting had been unbearable, for them?</p>
<p>Aurora couldn’t help but smile at those two. Tilting her head to the side almost imperceptibly, she decided that Ingrith and Maleficent definitely made a cute pair; she could only imagine what Diaval or Phillip might be wonder. No, actually she didn’t know. But, given that her husband wasn’t blind nor fool – only a little slow to comprehend love when it involved others, apparently – he was reacting quite well to the obvious.</p>
<p>“Hello, mother.” He greeted with a respectful bow, the complete opposite of the effusive hug Aurora and Maleficent shared just a second ago. The young Queen almost felt sorry for them.</p>
<p>“Hello, Phillip,” Ingrith replied uneasily, her voice hoarse. “what brings you here?” She inquired, genuinely interested.</p>
<p>Aurora barely suppressed the necessity of leaping into the woman’s arms as well and compensate for her son’s shortcomings – satisfying her own need to hug everything and everyone in the process – glad that perhaps now she was receiving the affection every creature was after.</p>
<p>The woman’s legitimate wondering, however, triggered Maleficent’s protective instincts, that were still powerful, despite everything.</p>
<p>“What’s going on?” She asked, her wings twitching almost imperceptibly as she was preparing herself for some emergency take off. “Has something happened at the castle? Is there any trouble with the other kingdoms?”</p>
<p>Phillp frowned, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, slightly irritated, as the questions were a subtle implication of their unfitness to rule yet. Men could be sensitive, sometimes, but he was a champion in mistaking some pure motherly concern with critiques.</p>
<p>He liked her Godmother, he told her plenty of times, but there were days that she made him nervous, perhaps because he cared about her having a good opinion about him. “No.” He hissed, folding his arms. “We wanted to surprise my mother and celebrate together.”</p>
<p>Aurora watched the fae frown deeply, her face a candid mask of perfectly hidden befuddlement.</p>
<p>“Celebrate what?” She asked dryly.</p>
<p>Aurora knew that not knowing things always result in making her bitter on some level and the situation made her smile. Before either one of them could lose their temper and ruin everything, she stepped in between and channeled everybody’s attention on herself.</p>
<p>Taking a small breath, then, she turned to Maleficent and addressed her specifically, speaking with one of those soothing smiles that worked most of the time when she needed to tell something out of the ordinary to the fae.</p>
<p>“It’s Ingrith’s birthday, Godmother.”</p>
<p>Maleficent froze. Her wings dropped suddenly, the longest feathers sweeping the ground. “Oh.” She murmured, blinking as she struggled to push the numbness out of her body.</p>
<p>After a long pause of pregnant silence, she turned back and faced Ingrith who, quietly, was biting the inside of her cheek in embarrassment. “It’s not important.” She justified with a chirp.</p>
<p>“You didn’t tell me it was your birthday.” The other retorted, feeling guilty about her ignorance. Birthdays weren’t an actual thing among the fair folks and the ones she’d ever celebrated were Aurora’s, which were also not a fully happy circumstance for her since it was a painful reminder of the curse each time.</p>
<p>Ingrith shrugged. “Well, everybody has one.” She murmured dismissively. “Mine just happens to be today.” She continued. “But it’s not a big deal for me, quite the contrary.” She added with a light giggle.</p>
<p>It was then that their hands found each other. A firm, long squeeze where their finger intertwined smoothly, like pieces of a puzzle that fit perfectly together. And then they smiled at each other, with no other adjective that came in mind but <em>lovingly</em>.</p>
<p>Aurora sighed, internally awing, while Phillip began to stare quite intensely. He started to gasp, his lips moving in haste, without letting out a single sound. “What’s going on?” He asked finally, a shade of panic in his voice. He started to point at something undefined, his index swinging back and forth between the two.</p>
<p>Aurora sighed again, her eyes closed: that was what she was trying to avoid. “Phillip, there’s no need to make a scene about it.”</p>
<p>“A scene?” He blurted out. “I told you this wasn’t a good idea to make them live together!”</p>
<p>“Why not?” Retorted Aurora, making a scowling face. “It just turned out better than I planned.”</p>
<p>“These two hated each other.” He pointed out. “And now what? They’re playing happy family?”</p>
<p>Aurora instinctively looked at the fae, sure to find glowing eyes about to flare magic out of anger, and she was right. “Godmother, don’t.” She warned, with a dim voice that was the perfect mix between firm and soothing.</p>
<p>Maleficent didn’t even flinch. “Contain your husband or I will.” She requested through a dangerous smirk.</p>
<p>Phillip tightened his jaw as his only response.</p>
<p>Things were about to get ugly. Aurora shot a pleading, desperate glance at Diaval, who too was wide-eyed, unsure whether to intervene and risk some unpleasant transformation into a worm onto his own persona or simply flee and let those two deal with it alone.</p>
<p>The girl was running out of ideas and time, but surprisingly it was Ingrith who stepped in.</p>
<p>“Stop it, you two.” She said firmly, physically walking between them.</p>
<p>Aurora noticed the fae’s eyes immediately lose their wild glow with a relieved sigh.</p>
<p>“Mother?” The boy frowned in confusion.</p>
<p>Ingrith took a small breath and, gathering some needed bravery with the air, she stared at her son with intent.</p>
<p>“Phillip, we’re not just messing around... I love her.”</p>
<p>“You <em>love</em> her?” Squealed Aurora, Phillip, and Diaval at the same time.</p>
<p>“You love <em>me</em>?” Wondered Maleficent through a wheeze.</p>
<p>There was a collective, mute blinking going on among them for a long instant.</p>
<p>Ingrith stared at them with her mouth agape, unsure of what to think; quite frankly, though, for a moment like that, the only one she was concerned of was Maleficent, whose wings and ears had suddenly twitched up. The woman exhaled through a disbelieving giggle and shook her head slightly. “Goodness me, you <em>are</em> clueless.”</p>
<p>Aurora stared at her Godmother with a grin. Never in her life would have thought of seeing those pallid cheekbones of hers blush of a deep crimson, as much as her lips.</p>
<p>She caught Phillip about to talk with the corner of her eye and quickly shoved her pointy elbow into his ribs, taking his breath off. Aurora certainly wouldn’t let her husband ruin a moment like that! It was clear as the day that it was the first time those words had slipped one of their mouths, and she felt blessed enough to have witnessed the scene already, he should’ve been grateful too.</p>
<p>Letting out a wet giggle that also resembled a sob – a happy one – Maleficent fixed her gaze on the woman in front of her, teeth scraping nervously her bottom lip as she breathed.</p>
<p>Aurora held her breath when she saw them stepping closer, hands searching for hands, ears twitching in wait for delicious whispers. “You are the one who’s supposed to receive gifts, not giving them. Or so Aurora taught me.”</p>
<p>Upon hearing her own name and after seeing her Godmother slightly turning into her direction for support, the girl let out a happy giggle and nodded excitedly.</p>
<p>Ingrith swayed on the spot, eyes low, smiling helplessly. “I’m just not fit for the conventional.”</p>
<p>Maleficent squeezed her lips together and inhaled sharply. “Listen, I know it’s not much and a little late, but,” she stopped, swallowing the lump that had build in her throat. “I love you too.” She said, letting out all the air still stored inside her lungs.</p>
<p>Ingrith smiled and laughed and sobbed happily all at the same time. “Well, it’s the perfect birthday gift.”</p>
<p>Unexpectedly, they moved even closed and, completely unaffected by each other’s personal space or the presence of the other three people, they leaned in and sealed their lips with a kiss.</p>
<p>Diaval immediately hurried to clutch his hands on his face.</p>
<p>Aurora stared, trying to cope with the mixed emotions that were battling inside of her: of course she was over the moon for them, but she didn’t exactly <em>need</em> to see them share affection in such way.</p>
<p>Phillips definitely didn’t need to see them share affection in such a way and stared agape, almost terrified, unable to move. “This is so awkward.” He murmured, transfixed. “Does it make us brother and sister?” He wondered, tilting his head to the side as he watched. “Siblings who are married?”</p>
<p>Aurora tilted her head as well and frowned. They were certainly cute, but her husband was painfully right. “Actually, we got married <em>before</em> our mothers fell in love with each other, so it doesn’t count.” She replied hesitantly. The more she thought about it though, the stranger it became. “Alright.” She conceded. “Yes, it’s a little unusual, but our families aren’t fit for simplicity.”</p>
<p>Phillips gulped and nodded. “You said it.”</p>
<p>As they kept staring like they were invisible, Aurora almost didn’t notice the raven cautiously walking into her direction, his gaze fixed on the pair as he was keeping his eyes on a dangerous animal about to jump at his throat, and stopped right beside the young Queen.</p>
<p>He blinked slowly trying to process everything he was witnessing and then leaned into Aurora. The raven-man lowered his voice dramatically, a perplexed grimace crumpling his face. “I’ll have to call them <em>mistresses</em>, now?”</p>
<p>Aurora, who had been dreamily smiling up to that moment, fell abruptly serious. “My, I’ll have to call them <em>mothers</em> now?”</p>
<p>They turned to one another almost simultaneously and, after a pregnant pause, they smirked and shook their heads dismissively, even if they both knew that they would probably have to adjourn each other’s addressing.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Friends inspired oneshot.</p>
<p>I'm sorry (again) for my absence. This quarantine hit the writer's cord but not the fanfictioner's. I will write more though because my uni course is almost done.</p>
<p>Thank you for everyone who's still here reading this rambling of mine: you guys are the best!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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